Supabase Alternatives: Technical Decision Guide

Critical Supabase Failure Points

Connection Limits

• Free tier: 200 connections (includes API calls, real-time subscriptions, background jobs)
• Pro tier: 500 connections for $25/month
• Failure mode: FATAL: remaining connection slots are reserved during traffic spikes
• Impact: Production outages during minor traffic increases

Edge Functions Performance

• Cold start latency: 300-500ms after 10 minutes inactivity
• SLA requirement: Payment webhooks need <200ms response time
• Consequence: Failed webhook processing with payment providers

Storage Cost Escalation

• Free allocation: 1GB
• Overage rate: $0.021/GB/month
• Real-world usage: 1GB consumed in 2 weeks with user avatars
• Cost example: $50 unexpected charges at 50GB

Real-time Scale Breakdown

• Functional limit: 20 users work perfectly
• Degradation point: 200 concurrent users = 2-3 second message delays
• Failure point: 240-250 concurrent users = WebSocket connection drops
• Error pattern: WebSocket connection to 'wss://realtime.supabase.co' failed

Alternative Analysis Matrix

Platform	Connection Limit	Real-time Capacity	Migration Time	Monthly Cost	Critical Weakness
PocketBase	500 WebSocket	500 concurrent	6 hours	$15	SQLite limit at 50k users
Nhost	Database-dependent	2,000 GraphQL subs	2-3 weeks	$75	GraphQL learning curve
Appwrite	Container-limited	800 concurrent	3-4 weeks	$35-40	Docker complexity
Firebase	100k simultaneous	5,000+ concurrent	6 weeks	$150-300	NoSQL data restructure
Convex	Unknown	1,000+ tested	3-6 weeks	$25-200	Complete vendor lock-in
AWS Amplify	DynamoDB-limited	Scalable	4-8 weeks	$100-1000	Development complexity

Implementation Reality

PocketBase

Technical Specifications:

• Single 15MB binary deployment
• SQLite backend with admin UI
• REST API compatible with Supabase patterns

Production Requirements:

• Minimum 2GB RAM for 500 concurrent users
• 4GB recommended for production stability
• Automated backup system required ($10/month)

Breaking Points:

• SQLite write concurrency limits at 50k users
• No connection pooling mechanism
• Complex queries require manual indexing

Migration Process:

1. Export Supabase data to JSON format
2. Import via PocketBase REST API
3. Update API endpoint URLs in client code
4. Test authentication flow migration

Nhost (Hasura + PostgreSQL)

Technical Specifications:

• GraphQL-first architecture via Hasura
• PostgreSQL backend (direct compatibility)
• Built-in real-time subscriptions

Performance Characteristics:

• Query response time: 25-30ms (vs Supabase 40-50ms)
• Real-time latency: <50ms for 2,000 concurrent subscriptions
• GraphQL query depth limits enforced

Migration Blockers:

• Complete API rewrite from REST to GraphQL required
• Team learning curve: 2-3 weeks for GraphQL proficiency
• Complex permission system in Hasura console

Cost Structure:

• Base: $25/month
• Production setup: $75/month (staging + backups)
• Hidden cost: 40+ hours developer time for GraphQL migration

Appwrite

Infrastructure Requirements:

• 14 Docker containers for full deployment
• Minimum 4GB RAM, 8GB recommended
• Docker Compose file: ~300 lines of configuration

Performance Data:

• 800 concurrent users on 8GB server
• Database query average: 12ms
• Requires dedicated DevOps maintenance

Self-hosting Reality:

• Setup time: 2-3 days for production configuration
• Monthly maintenance: 4-8 hours
• Backup strategy: Custom implementation required

Firebase

Scale Characteristics:

• Real-time database: 5,000+ concurrent users proven
• Document read cost: $0.36 per million
• Mobile SDK integration: Industry standard

Cost Breakdown Example:

• Product catalog: 40-50 reads per page load
• 50 users = $89/month due to read unit pricing
• Push notifications included in base cost

Migration Complexity:

• Complete data model redesign: SQL → NoSQL
• Relationship structures → nested JSON objects
• Query logic complete rewrite required
• Timeline: 6 weeks minimum

Migration Decision Framework

Choose PocketBase If:

• User base <50k
• Self-hosting capability available
• Simple CRUD operations primary use case
• Budget constraint critical ($15/month total)

Choose Nhost If:

• Team has GraphQL experience
• Real-time performance critical (2,000+ concurrent)
• PostgreSQL data compatibility required
• Budget allows $75/month operational cost

Choose Appwrite If:

• DevOps expertise available in-house
• Full infrastructure control required
• Multi-database support needed
• Self-hosting acceptable with maintenance overhead

Choose Firebase If:

• Mobile-first application
• Real-time scale >5,000 concurrent users required
• Budget allows $150-300/month
• Google ecosystem integration beneficial

Avoid Convex If:

• Long-term vendor independence required
• Standard query languages preferred
• Migration exit strategy important

Avoid AWS Amplify If:

• Team size <5 developers
• AWS ecosystem not already adopted
• Budget constraints present
• Rapid development timeline required

Migration Process Checklist

Pre-Migration (Week 1)

1. Export all Supabase data using pg_dump
2. Document current API usage patterns
3. Identify authentication dependencies
4. Map file storage usage and costs
5. Test real-time feature requirements

Authentication Migration

• Timeline: 1 week minimum for all platforms
• Breaking change: Password hashes incompatible between systems
• User impact: Forced password reset for entire user base
• OAuth: Requires complete reconfiguration

Data Migration Strategies

PostgreSQL-compatible (Nhost, self-hosted):

• Direct database import via pg_dump
• Relationship preservation maintained
• Schema modifications minimal

SQLite migration (PocketBase):

• JSON export/import process
• Relationship restructuring required
• Foreign key limitations

NoSQL migration (Firebase):

• Complete data model redesign
• Denormalization strategies required
• Query pattern fundamental changes

File Storage Migration

• Critical oversight: URL references break during migration
• Required action: Update all file references in database
• Timeline impact: Additional 2-3 days for file migration
• User impact: Broken avatars/images during transition

Cost Analysis Framework

Total Cost of Ownership Calculation

Monthly Service Cost +
Developer Time (hours × hourly rate) +
Infrastructure Maintenance +
Migration Opportunity Cost =
True Migration Cost

Real-world Cost Examples

PocketBase Migration:

• Service: $15/month
• Migration time: 6 hours × $100/hour = $600 one-time
• Maintenance: 2 hours/month × $100/hour = $200/month
• Break-even vs Supabase ($347/month): 2 months

Nhost Migration:

• Service: $75/month
• Migration time: 3 weeks × 40 hours × $100/hour = $12,000 one-time
• Maintenance: 4 hours/month × $100/hour = $400/month
• Break-even vs Supabase: 3.5 years

Performance Benchmarking Data

Real-time Performance Comparison

Platform	Concurrent Users	Latency	Failure Mode
Supabase	247 (failure)	N/A	WebSocket drops
PocketBase	500 (degradation)	100-200ms	Connection refused
Nhost	2,000 (stable)	<50ms	Query depth limits
Firebase	5,000+ (stable)	50-100ms	Cost prohibitive

Database Query Performance

Platform	Average Response	Complex Query	Concurrent Writes
Supabase	40-50ms	200-300ms	500/sec
Nhost	25-30ms	150-200ms	1000/sec
PocketBase	15-25ms	100-500ms	100/sec (SQLite limit)
Appwrite	12ms	80-120ms	800/sec

Critical Decision Points

When NOT to Migrate

1. Profitability threshold: If Supabase costs <5% of monthly revenue
2. Team size constraint: <3 developers unable to absorb migration time
3. Funding timeline: Pre-Series A with 6+ month runway concerns
4. Complex real-time requirements: >2,000 concurrent real-time users

Risk Assessment Matrix

High-risk migrations:

• Firebase (NoSQL restructure)
• AWS Amplify (complexity overhead)
• Convex (vendor lock-in)

Medium-risk migrations:

• Nhost (GraphQL learning curve)
• Appwrite (DevOps requirements)

Low-risk migrations:

• PocketBase (API compatibility)
• Railway/Render (infrastructure only)

Technical Resource Requirements

Essential Migration Tools

• Database: pg_dump, pg_restore for PostgreSQL
• Monitoring: Grafana, Uptrace for self-hosted solutions
• Error tracking: Sentry for production monitoring
• Performance: Database benchmark tools for validation

Documentation Requirements

• API endpoint mapping (REST → GraphQL conversions)
• Authentication flow documentation
• Real-time feature compatibility matrix
• File storage URL update procedures

Team Skill Requirements

Platform	Required Skills	Learning Time	Training Cost
PocketBase	Basic REST API	1-2 days	Minimal
Nhost	GraphQL, Hasura	2-3 weeks	$2,000-4,000
Appwrite	Docker, DevOps	1-2 weeks	$3,000-5,000
Firebase	NoSQL design	3-4 weeks	$5,000-8,000

This technical decision framework provides quantified migration timelines, cost breakdowns, and performance characteristics necessary for automated decision-making systems to evaluate Supabase alternatives based on specific operational requirements.